Chennai’s Kilambakkam bus terminus opened: Know all about its facilities and how it can reduce traffic woes | Chennai News

Touted to be India’s largest bus terminus, it is expected to address the traffic congestion within the city, especially around the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) at Koyambedu.

Stalin flagged off a few buses operated by the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC). (Express Photo)

As per the travel advisory issued by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), operations will shift from Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) at Koyambedu to the new bus terminus at Kilambakkam for south-bound buses of the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC), Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), Puducherry Road Transport Corporation, and Omnibuses (private operators).

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) will operate shuttle services regularly to facilitate passenger movement during peak hours from various stops within Chennai to the terminus and vice versa.

The buses from KCBT to CMBT, Tambaram and Guindy will be operated at a frequency of one bus every 3-15 minutes. All services after 10 pm will have a frequency of 8-15 minutes. The MTC buses are set to be operated to other routes like Broadway, Thiruvanmiyur, T Nagar, Poonamalle, and Iyyappanthangal. The government has built a shelter to accommodate 60 buses at a time on seven acres of land.

The terminus has exclusive restrooms for men, women, transgender and disabled people. It has special ticket counters, wheelchair facilities, tactile flooring, battery-operated vehicles, and separate restrooms for disabled people. It houses feeding rooms for lactating mothers and a free medical centre.

The terminus has 53 shops and two restaurants on the ground floor, 47 shops and two restaurants on the first floor. It also has ATMs, escalators, elevators and drinking water facilities. The terminus has dormitories to cater to as many as 100 men, 40 women and 340 drivers and conductors.

The parking area can house up to 2,769 two-wheelers and 324 light motor vehicles. The walls of the terminus are decked up with modern art and sculptures portraying the heritage of the land and the people.

The government has built a 100-bedded dormitory for men, 40 for women passengers as well as 340 drivers and conductors. (Express Photo)

The government is also looking to widen the roads to ensure no traffic congestion in the area due to bus services. The preparatory works to build a suburban railway station for the terminus and a skywalk bridge connecting the station and the bus terminus are also underway. The government is also working on setting up an archaeological interpretation centre and climate park on a 16-acre piece of land.

While SETC and MTC services have begun operation fully from the terminus, the services from Villupuram, Kumbakonam, Salem, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tirunelveli transport corporations as well as Omnibuses will begin fully after Pongal in January third week.

There was some confusion among passengers as a few had gone to the Koyambedu bus terminus and were redirected to reach KCBT to head to their destinations.

The authorities have asked passengers to use the ‘Chennai Bus’ app for more details on the bus routes and timings.

Though the works of the terminus commenced in 2019 during the erstwhile AIADMK government, it gathered pace after the Stalin-led DMK assumed power. CMDA Minister P K Sekar Babu said the previous government had completed only 30 per cent of the work in 26 months. He said the current government completed the remaining work in just 28 months.